George Washington didn't blame the previous administration.
J.P. Montalvan • November 14, 2022
“Government is not reason and it is not eloquence. It is force! Like fire it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.”
-- George Washington
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George Washington didn't blame the previous administration.
And it's thought that George Washington didn't find much fun in elections and politics. There may not be much that’s fun about elections, and fun probably isn’t the point of elections. Even as you read this, you might be thinking – “oh boy, do I really want to read something about politics?”
I’m not going to talk politics for long, so I hope you’ll hang in there with me.
What made this week’s election interesting, not including who and what were on the ballot, was that the elections were close. That’s unusual, because the party of a sitting President usually loses a significant number of seats in Congress.
Why was it so close? And why does it being close matter?
Exit polls found that voters were broadly discontented with the state of the nation, the economy, President Joe Biden, views on abortion and Biden’s predecessor President Trump. 55% disapproved of Biden and inflation was the top issue for voters at 31%. About 6 in 10 voters felt negatively about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade. Roughly 28% of voters said they intended their vote to express opposition to former President Trump, a few points lower than the roughly one-third who said they were expressing opposition to Biden.
What was really big?
About 75% of voters said they were dissatisfied or angry about the way things are going in the US, and a similar share called the economy not so good or poor.
One positive thing that Americans tend to agree on is the importance of voting. Around seven-in-ten U.S. adults (69%) say it’s very important to vote in elections to be a good member of society.
Sonya Letson, President of the League of Women Voters, recently had an interesting take on why voting is important.
“Most of us have played sports at some point. And we know that sometimes our team wins. And sometimes our team does not win.,” Letson said. “But participating in the sport has its own value. And it’s really important that we do it, and that we work to try to win. I’m not always going to be happy with who’s elected. And sometimes I’m going to be really happy with who’s elected. But the importance of participating is that if everyone participates, we have a better chance of having an outcome that truly reflects the will of the majority of the voters.”
Whether or not you believe that election outcomes lead to a government that does what the majority of voters want, what’s particularly powerful in Letson’s words is that life isn’t a spectator sport.
Participating in life has its own value. If you don’t participate you can’t win. And it’s really important that we try to win in what we do.
We are either winning or losing in our lives – there’s no middle ground. We’re either getting closer to our significant others, our families and our friends or we’re drifting apart. We’re either growing our work and our business or they are declining. We’re either improving our health and fitness or we’re wasting away. We’re either feeling better about our lives or we’re more pessimistic. Balance, status-quo or whatever you want to call the middle ground is an illusion – growth or decline are our only really options.
If those are our choices, why not try to win? We often think that it’s harder to try to win than to not try. But what if we took very small, tactical steps toward winning, gradually putting together series of small wins in our lives, rather than think we have to hit a home run or win the lottery?
Clearly, most of us feel dissatisfied or angry about the way things are going in the U.S. – that we’re facing a crisis. And there’s opportunity in the crisis if we get tactical.
Click here for a Quick Take from a recent Leadership Circle training on getting tactical around opportunity.
We can vote, but we can’t expect the government to save us – to change our lives for the better. We can decide to really participate in our lives, to get tactical and make changes in all aspects of our lives for the better.
We can win. We just need to get into the game.
Here’s to getting in the game with you and playing to win.
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Edwin was born in the small town of Steubenville, Ohio. His education started in Miss Randle’s kindergarten and was followed by Henry Orr’s seminary around the block. At 10, he entered George Buchanan’s nearby Latin school where he was called “an imperious and self-reliant young man.”
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As I sit here late at night in my parent’s family room, a few hours away from our home, thinking about you, it dawns on me that we’re often wrapped up with how leadership impacts us in the work world. But the reality is that it permeates every part of our lives – and especially our relationships with family and friends.
This weekend, the conversations with my parents are covering a myriad of topics, from advice on navigating parenthood with our newborn daughter to discussing strategies for managing their health.
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Upon entering the cozy pub, we were greeted incredibly warmly. Our waiter was a young man who attended to us graciously through our meal, and when he had to leave was replaced by an older waiter. The older waiter had a twinkle in his eye, as they say, and he immediately struck a chord with us. As our main meal switched to delicious desserts, he engaged us in some lively conversation and took a genuine interest in our newborn daughter in the stroller by our table. His genuine care and enthusiasm was really something.
In the challenging world of Hollywood, with a sea of scripts and opportunities, Reese knew what she wanted. Despite some early success and the offers of darker and more intense roles, she was drawn towards “optimistic” storylines that inspired and uplifted. She wanted to make a meaningful impact on her audience, especially girls and young women.
“I got a role in this movie called Freeway playing this really angry, aggressive, violent young woman who believed wholeheartedly in the truth,” Reese shared. “I had such satisfaction afterward, and I thought, that's what I want to do.”
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Getting picked last isn't great. Brock would know…
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